Dec 9, 2016

Laughing Sailors

 If you feel the need to hear some laughing, click on this YouTube LINK. It is 50 seconds of animated sailors laughing. Completely useless, but a momentary diversion from what ails you.

Wordology, Delicatessen

Most of us are familiar with the word Deli, which conjures up sliced sausage and cheese piled high on rolls and ordered at the counter. The term also brings to mind baguettes and camembert, or olives and prosciutto. The term deli comes from delicatessen shops, which came from the German 'Delikatesse'.

The shops called delicatessens were first opened in New York and London by German proprietors, such as Lingner’s Delicatessen on London's Old Compton Road in Soho, recorded in 1877.

The German word has its roots in Latin “delicatus” and the French word “délicatesse”, but the French term for a fine foods shop is actually “une épicerie fine”.

Centenarian Advice

Five people, all women 113 to 117 years old provide thoughts about what helped them live so long.

 No jogging, smoked until husband had his first heart attack, then quit. Eats anything, but prefers oatmeal.
 Has compassion for others and positive attitude.
 Eat delicious things, including ramen noodles and beef stew, as well as hashed beef and rice mackerel sushi. Learn to relax.
 Eats fish and mutton and sometimes cow foot. Also has locally-grown produce like sweet potatoes, breadfruit, oranges and mangoes.
 Believes being single is what keeps her alive (she left her husband in 1938). Eats two raw eggs and one cooked egg every day and cookies.

Camels in Australia

Australia has camels and they were imported onto the continent during the 19th century from Arabia, India, and Afghanistan, because they were well suited to Australia’s outback.

When the combustion engine came along, the camels were no longer needed, so they were released into the outback. Today it is a huge problem. In fact, there is one roaming flock that has 750,000 camels.

Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia, a place you would think would be plentiful with camels. There are many camel farms in Saudi Arabia, but the camels are bred for domestic uses and racing. The camels from Australia are mostly used for meat, a delicacy for many countries in the Middle East.

Leading Causes of Death 1900 and 2014

For all of the advances in modern medicine, it seems like many things remain the same. Politics, headlines, and funding appear to have as much influence as medicine and science for finding cures. Case in point, HIV/AIDS threatened to wipe out millions, yet it is not shown in either list. It became a cause célèbre, was well funded, and today is a mere blip in the grand scheme of leading causes of death.
During 1900, leading causes of death were: Pneumonia or influenza, Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal infections, Heart disease, Cerebrovascular disease (stroke), Nephropathies (causes are Diabetes, Alcohol abuse, Vitamin deficiencies, Infections, and Autoimmune disease), Accidents, and Cancer.

During 1940, leading causes of death were: Diseases of the heart, Cancer and other malignant tumors, Intracranial lesions of vascular origin, Nephritis (all forms), Pneumonia and influenza, Accidents excluding motor-vehicle, Tuberculosis, Diabetes mellitus.

During 2014, leading causes of death among Americans under age 80 were: Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema; and accidents. Nearly two-thirds of deaths in the United States were caused by these five diseases or conditions.

Thirty percent of heart disease deaths, 15 percent of cancer deaths, 28 percent of stroke deaths, 36 percent of chronic lower respiratory disease deaths, and 43 percent of accident deaths were preventable, according to the CDC.

It appears we have become much better at defining causes, but not developing cures. To a politician, the problem is the healthcare system, but to a patient, the problem is the disease. To a politician, the symptom is the size of the wallet, but to a patient, the symptom is the size of the tumor.

Bacon Bow

Here is something completely different. Japanese girls have begun wearing plastic food as head decorations. I really appreciate this tasty looking bacon bow.

Quote

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." ~Audrey Hepburn

Dec 2, 2016

Happy Friday

A smile not shared is like a gift not delivered.

I always deliver my smiles, especially on a Happy Friday!

Whole Fat Milk

Contrary to current publicity, children who drink whole milk are leaner and have higher vitamin D levels than those who drink low-fat or skim milk, according to a recent study at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Another interesting fact to back up that study, childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years while consumption of whole milk has halved over the same period.

Incidentally, whole milk has just 3.25 per cent fat content vs. 2 percent and 1 percent milk.